1. Back to the Future DeLorean Set – OUTATIME License Plate

The LEGO version of Dr. Emmett Brown’s time-traveling DeLorean changes into three different versions of the classic car (to match its appropriate incarnation in each of the Back to the Future movies)—but it’s the little details that really make this thing fly. Take, for instance, its tiny “OUTATIME” license plate. (Buy at Amazon.)

2. Star Wars Boba Fett – Dented Helmet

All those Star Wars LEGO sets include plenty of charming minifigs, but few are as detailed as the current incarnation of bounty hunter Boba Fett. As of 2010, ol’ Fett is so highly detailed that his get-up not only includes a spunky cape, but a tiny helmet made to exactly mirror the bumps, dents, and scrapes of the real thing. Go ahead, compare them—this is definitely the minifig you’re looking for. (Buy at Amazon.)

3. Super Heroes Iron Man – Blue Attachments

Despite their many advancements in plastic technology, LEGO bricks can’t fly (yet). So when it comes to portraying characters that can, they need to take some liberties to approximate the experience. When it comes to Iron Man, that means attaching tiny blue LEGO bits to his hands and feet to mimic his repulsor blasts. (Buy at Amazon.)

5. Ariel – Treasure Chest with Sheet Music

Even The Little Mermaid needs to remember some of her favorite jams, and that’s why one of Ariel’s playsets includes a tiny piece of sheet music. Is it “A Part of Your World”? “Under the Sea”? Who can read tiny LEGO print? (Buy at Amazon.)

6. Cinderella – Invitation to the Ball

Sure, the Disney Princess needs a bunch of things in order to get to the Prince’s ball—from her dream carriage to a perfect dress to those all-important shoes—but you know what she really needs? An actual invitation! (Buy at Amazon.)

7. William Shakespeare – Quill

8. The Lord of the Rings – The Ring

You can’t make a Lord of the Rings set without including the ring itself, but the LEGO version is a gaudy, slightly blinding take on the circular prize. No wonder people went on ill-fated adventures for this thing. (Buy at Amazon.)

9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Pizza

What is a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle without his half-shell, fighting skills, and skewed DNA? Basically just a guy who is really into pizza, so of course this TMNT set includes some delightfully rendered whole pizza pies. (Buy at Amazon.)

10. The Lone Ranger – Red’s Leg

Last year’s big screen take on the storied mythos of The Lone Ranger included plenty of new spins on old material, including the introduction of Red, a character with a literally magical peg leg. Her special appendage has been rendered into tiny plastic. (Buy at Amazon.)

12. Super Heroes Loki – The Cosmic Cube

13. The Hobbit – Spiderwebs

This entire special set is built around icky Mirkwood spiders, and the team that designed it for LEGO certainly went all out when it came to filling in details—even if that meant reaching beyond standard interlocking bricks. These are tiny spiderweb bags that hold whole minifigs. (Buy at Amazon.)

14. Star Wars – TIE Fighter

While it comes as little surprise that LEGO's extensive Star Wars collection features a giant version of the Death Star (no, seriously giant—this thing weighs 30 pounds unassembled), what really charms about the set is its attention to the smaller things—like the inclusion of a tiny TIE Fighter that requires its own assembly. (Buy at Amazon.)

15. Leaning Tower of Pisa – Lean!

No, creating a LEGO version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa that doesn’t lean would not make much sense, but this LEGO Architecture version of the Italian landmark is so cleverly crafted that it’s easy to overlook the leaning mechanism (until you go to measure angles and whatnot). That’s amore! (Buy at Amazon.)

16. Toy Story – Zurg’s Cape

17. Harry Potter – Food Trolley

When it comes to the wizarding world of Harry Potter, there are plenty of options for darling features to put into plastic. The Hogwarts Express may not come with Chocolate Frogs, but it does include that perennial LEGO favorite—chicken legs. (Buy at Amazon.)

18. Indiana Jones – Hat and Whip

Indy’s style (and safety) suffers without the inclusion of his hat and his whip, and LEGO delivers both in tiny plastic form. Pre-curled, Dr. Jones’ whip appears to be ever-ready when it comes to both defense (snakes) and grabbing hold of important things to pull himself out of sticky situations (honestly, probably also snakes). (Buy at Amazon.)

19. Pirates of the Caribbean – Figurehead

The sea-faring lady known as the Black Pearl comes kitted out with all sorts of fun accessories (Black sails! Tiny maps! Cannons!), but there’s something special about the inclusion of a well-made and well-scaled figurehead to cap the entire thing off. (Buy at Amazon.)